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Poetry . . . and Such |
The First Psalm
. . . Dedicated to Commuters
The Lord is my co-pilot
I shall not want
He maketh me drive alongside golden pastures;
he leadeth me beside artichoke and strawberry fields
He restoreth my soul
He leadeth me along the path of
the Padre, for serenity’s sake
Yea, though I commute through the shadow of the Valley
of San Joaquin to the mouth of the Valley of Carmel,
I shall fear no boredom
For thou art everywhere
Thy trees and thy ocean comfort me
Thou preparest a visual feast before me in
the presence of other drivers
Thou annointest my vision with magnificence
My soul runneth over
Surely random acts of kindness and
senseless beauty will follow me all
the days of my life
And I will enjoy this magnificent splendor forever . . .
Psalm of Geneva Marie Brett on June 3, 1997. Commute of 1.75 hours (1.5 when I
fear the CHP)
Los Banos, California to Carmel Valley, California)
Achieve Your Dream
There is something special
that lives
inside each heart
To do some
kind of special thing
that will really set us apart
It needn't be a big thing
like world peace or fame
But it must be our heart's thing
or others we will blame
Know that if you want it
it's not beyond your reach
You will have to work for it
is what I'm trying to tech
Life is really tough my friend
for all the human race
Never, ever, ever give up
no matter the difficulties you face
For as long as you are living
you can achieve your dream
Nev-A-Mom 2-12-97
Written for KeNyA's 4th grade class
To My Beloved
On Valentine's Day
I never knew I'd meet you
I never knew I'd care
You are like oxygen
for me who breathes air
You are a truly special person
placed upon this earth
My heart's greatest wish for you
is that you'll learn your worth
You have blessed my life
from the moment that we met
For I have learned a lot from you
and you haven't even grown up yet
Thank you for accepting me
making room there in your heart
As long as we remember each other
we'll never, ever, ever have to part
Happy Joyous Valentine
Love outlasts time
Written 2-12-97 by Nev-A-Mom
to my art students (KeNyA's 4th grade class)
A Daddy’s Love Can Never, Ever, Die
I guess every little child has a Daddy of fantasy
“If MY Daddy only knew, he’d protect and comfort me”
Loving that Daddy is natural as can be
“Cause he’s my fantasy Daddy,
His life revolves around me, me, me”
No matter how old we grow, even past his living
The child within us believes in the fantasy Daddy’s giving
But there comes an awakening, a shocking painful fact
That the little child is on its own,
and time cannot be turned back
Each of us must face this is our own different way
There is no consoling word, nothing one can say
We cry our tears, we ache for years
Many of us develop a not so strange fear
“Can I live without Daddy,
can I make it on my own
Can I live up to the Daddy image,
with the seeds that I have sown”
Daddies only leave when it’s just the right time
Daddy shows his faith in you; step up to the line
Daddy was a gift for you, now you can gift him too
Allow your love to flow to him; imperfect, tried and booed
He was no perfect than you or I
But he was a Daddy, a love that let you fly
Say a gentle farewell, but not a goodbye
Because a Daddy’s love can never, ever, die!
Long live Daddy in your heart and mind
he’ll forever be with you, reminiscing,
remembering,
guiding through time
A Daddy’s Love was written for my precious Aunt Jo
from Mom and I on 09-17-97
My Daddy died in 1954, I understand
Geneva Marie Brett
Riding with Rita
Riding with Rita
is a voyage through time
An incredible experience
and relaxation of mind
Princess Di is dead today
it’s sad but in a way
It’s probably easiest on her children
the best that we can say
Our conversations span
over a hundred years
Hearing her stories
I’m often moved to tears
Sometimes I am touched
by the strength of her soul
Other times I’m grief stricken
by the bondage of her goal
Always I am blessed
by her precious persevering self
A beautiful example
of a personal kind of wealth
I am deeply honored
that she wants to hang with me
I always looked up to her
as an alternative way to be
I delight in every moment
that we are company
She gets to telling stories
and acting pretty free
When I ride with Rita
I listen more than talk
I learn about humanity
and my Great Aunt Oreta, the Rock
She came from Oklahoma
in the dust bowl days
Moved to California
looking for a better way
Lived in a tent camp
like in the Grapes of Wrath
Only knowing how to farm
but she learned the migrant workers path
She has lived her life with honor
dignity and grace
And what she attests it to
is her undying faith
She is a Christian woman
Church as often as she can
Mother of four children
over 56 years with just one man
She is still a simple woman
most would say
Honorable and proud
making her own way
Never asked for assistance
from any government program or aide
Simple folks like her
the foundation on which America is made
Yeah, when I ride with Rita
I’m tickled as can be
She is what I’m made of
Past, present, eternity
I love to go to church with her
then the Home Town Buffet
She is one incredible human
the least that I can say
My soul is always nourished
by her precious company
She’s lived over 86 years
independently. Courageously, free
Riding with Rita
I am in God’s grace
Of that there is no questioning
It is written on her gentle, loving face
Geneva Marie Brett August 31, 1997
ICU and Eyes of Blue
Here I stand as I watch you lay
in a place called ICU
I talk to you and try to read
unspoken words in your eyes so blue
Do they say you want to live
or do they plead to let you slip away
I search your eyes for answers
changing each moment, from what they appear to say
It’s a very personal torment
to watch you writhe in pain
Hooked up to ventilator
with hopes your strength will be regained
It’s looking kind of gloomy
you’re so very, very tired
Lots of help is needed
nurses, ivs, tubes, and wires
This place is very special
the people all have heart
They know what we’re up against
yet they’re beside us from the start
They tend to you efficiently
to me they’re exceedingly kind
They don’t just help your body
they also soothe our minds
They don’t have all the answers
but they have experiences galore
Many families with like situations
have passed through their doors
With ICU and your eyes so blue
emotions exposed and raw
We journey through these challenging days
not by desire, but by natural, cosmic law
My stomach’s ever churning
I weep both day and night
I get through it all quite simply
I step with my left foot, then my right
Here I stand as I watch you lay
in a place called ICU
I talk to you and try to read
unspoken words in your eyes so blue
Geneva Marie Brett – December 1999...Mom passed, at home, in January 2000
Saying Bye to Mom
Saying Bye to Mom seems the scariest thing on earth
For who can we turn to when life is at it's worst
No matter how she treated us there was always the great hope
That miracle upon miracle Mom's still on the other end of our rope
Listen to these gentle words my grieving friend
Just because Mom's gone doesn't mean the love will end
She'll dwell within your heart and mind
And you'll hear her words, time after time
You'll come to know her even better than before
That's a small gift of passing through death's door
You'll think of her and wonder why this or that
Then you'll stretch to know her without her "Mom" hat
You'll finally accept her as another human being
No more, no less, for with your soul you'll be seeing
You'll love her even more when you accept like that
One human to another, minus any parent/child hat
The pain seems eternal, but it won't last
Focus on your living love, not your relationship past
You will feel your mother's love without judgment or fear
With new eyes you'll see her; you'll have no need for tears
Remember her life, the stories she told
She was trying to teach something,
whether or not you thought her bold
Life's a journey; parenting a test
Teaching what you've learned, trying to give your best
Moms are just people, same as you and me
When you look at it that way it's easy to see
Let her become your equal with a love beyond time
Then your heart will direct you when you're in a bind
Mom's loving comfort, your forever more
All you have to do is open truth's door
Guaranteed her love is waiting;
beckoning your call
Be still my friend and listen,
she will catch your fall
Saying Bye to Mom was written by me for Kathy and Chyril, 7-6-98,
I said by to Gran in 1996, and Mom in 2000
I understand